statistical retiew — new south wales. 109 



Wool. 



The tables which exhibit the export of wool — the produce of 

 the Colony^ — furnish the following information : — They show ns 

 that in the year 1862 our flocks produced 20,988,393 lbs. of wool, 

 of the estimated value of £1,801,186, which gives an average of 

 over three pounds six ounces per sheep, and an estimated value 

 of nearly one shilling and ninepence per pound. In 1866 the 

 production had increased to 36,980,685 pounds of wool, with an 

 estimated value of £2 830,348, or a little over one shilling and 

 sixpence per pound ; thus exhibiting an increase in the produc- 

 tion to the extent of 76 per cent. AVhilst in the last five years 

 of the series — that is, in the year 1871 — the exports reached the 

 highest figures ever sent away, namely, 65,611,953 pounds of 

 wool, of the estimated value of £1,748,160, or a little over one 

 shilling and five-pence per pound. Not far short of five millions 

 sterling, and equal to an increase of production of 212 per cent, 

 in the ten years, and nearly 80 per cent, in the last five years. 

 The clip of 1871 gave an average yield of 4 lbs. per sheep, that is, ten 

 ounces over the clip of 1862, owing probably in great measure 

 to the larger proportion of wool going Home in grease. We 

 have no means of ascertaining the actual return proceeds of the 

 clip of last year, indeed it cannot yet have been all realized. I 

 shall not be accused of overstating the case, however, if I put 

 down the surplus return to the Colony, over and above the value 

 before stated, at a million and a half sterling, thus bringing up 

 the value of the clip to six millions and a quarter sterling. 



It is a noticeable feature in the returns of the exports of wool, 

 the produce of our own flocks, that over 41 per cent, goes to 

 Melbourne or Adelaide for shipment — a fact which suggests con- 

 siderations beyond the scope of this paper to discuss. 



Tallow, &c. 

 As appertaining to the Pastoral interests, the sketch woidd be 

 incomplete without a notice of the value of live stock, tallow, hide?, 

 sheepskins, and tinned meats, but I will treat them in the aggregate 

 for fear of wearying you, having much ground yet to go over. 



Of course we have no means of ascertaining the value of the 

 home consumption ; we must therefore be content to estimate the 

 production by the value of the exports as expressed in the returns 

 before us. 



I find, then, that we exported seaAvard last year, the produce 

 of our own flocks and herds, to the value of — 



Livestock £41,330 



Salt and preserved meats ... ... 133,266 



Hides and skins 48,283 



Tallow 245,727 



Total ... £468,606 



